Preselected bottle dispenser



3 Sheets-Sheet 1 G. F. FORSTHOEFEL ETAL PRESELECTED BOTTLE DISPENSERFiled May 1, 1941 Oct. 19, 1943.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 G. F. FORSTHOEFEL ETAL PRESELECTED BOTTLE DISPENSERFiled Nay l, 1941 Oct. 19, l1943.

0d 19 1943. G. F. FoRsTHoEx-EL Erm., 2,332,214

PRESELECTED BOTTLE DISPENSER Filed May l, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 E/"ya f\i :l l I l I I I I I I I I I I |v l ttomeg Patented Oct. v19, 1943 naarPRESELECTED-BOTTLE ISPENSER Gregg F. Forsr'zhoefel` and Howard D. White,Adrian, Mich., assignors to Revoc, Inc., Adrian,

Mich.-

e Application May 1, 194.1, serial No. 391,277

's claims. (ci. :i12- 45) This invention relates to bottle dispensingmechanism,A and itV has particular reference'to a self-servicel bottleldispensing and vending device, from which the customer may selectanyvone of a number of bottles containingdiierent 'The invention will bedescribed wt'h'particular reference Vto a dispenser formilk bottles,adapted to containsweet milk, buttermilk,` and theV various otherbeverages packaged .inl such? bottles, and vwherein the customer may,upon A insertion of his preference. y I

The general purpose of the invention is to devise an improveddispenservsuited for suchy vendyofia coin, Vremove a bottle containingthe liquid 1 ing, andv one which cani be' readily serviced andVrefilled, easily manipulated :by 'the c'usto'rnenan'd which is designedfor simplicityv and positive ace tion; Y u I Among otherfeatures ovftheinvention are the provision Aof a retaining. magazine or grid, -fo`rVsupporting the bottles, constructed to preclude unauthorizedk removal,and yet readily removable from the rcontaining 'cabinet for cleaning.With such magazineis associated a simple loading station, which, whennot being operated, locks the magazine in place. f Another vfeature ofthe invention is the provision of refrigeratingfor cooling lapparatusfor the bottles, 'so as to maketheir contentsmore palatable4 and-lesslikely to spoil, and wherein a cold airblast is directedover thebottoms of 'the bottles, as wellas thev sides, thus reducing surfacedampness.

Another feature .is the nprovision of an Yeasily operated trap 'orescapement mechanism f for the bottles, wherein, after `theescapement-has been freed by the insertion ofa` coin, the bottle may beremovedwth one hand; itsbeing unnecessary to hold'the release with theother. This mech- 40 anism is also advantageously.",soformedthat thevbottle `is'removed, in a r'straight lifting motion, without wrenching ortwisting, and,v as the Arefthe following description of a rpreferredembodiment,jillustrated in the accompanying` A draw` ings,wherein:

Fig. 1 is V.a top view of the ven with the compartment covers showninopen pcsition;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line '2-2fof` Fig. l;

23 are positioned in pairs of brackets 25, 2l,"

g machine L Fig. 3 is anl enlarged section on the line r3- 3 of Fig.v1;and

Fig. 4 is a sectiononl the line 4-44 of Fig. 3

with the cabinet and bottle release box omitted to show the structure ofthebottlerelease slide, 'The dispensing device comprises a cabinet Iiihaving an openrefrigerated compartment I'I in which bottles B areJstored and are maintained at a proper temperature by'an evaporator coilI2. A- pair'of covers, mounted in slide rails I3 disposed adjacenttheopen top of the cabinet,

may be slid open to permit 'access to the bottles vbythe customer' or topermit iilling of the mag'- azinewith a fresh supply.r f i .'Th'ecabinetrIl) is' also lformed with a compressor compartment I5 underlying thecompartment Il,`a`nd containing'an'y type of refrigerant compressor andcondenser unit I6 suitable to retain 4and control .proper temperaturevconditions within the compartment l I.

4As willF be seen in'Figs; 2 and 3,v the coil `I2 is covered-'by a sheetmetalfducty member I8, one end/of. whichmemberleads into a blower casingI9,fwhile'the other and open end is spaced from the left hand end.'v ofthe compartment II casing I.9 .is formed with ay shrouded opening 2E!leadinginto the compartment II, and a motordrven suction fanZUaisxdisposed in-thisopening, .sof that relatively warm air may bekwith-- drawny from the :compartment IIy and directed downward andthrough the duct I 8 for recooling bythe coil I2..r It will -be notedthat the coil I2 is formed .with a number of passes, each having a iin I2a thereon,v which ns are longitudinally disposed in the air duct I8.

The compartment II is supplied wil-ha magazine or bottle racliv 2i,whichis so formed that bottles B may be selected and manually advancedinto a bottle release mechanism 22, without, however,V the chance vofunauthorized removal.4 The rack 2| consists of a plurality of invertedT-` bars Zia, 2lb, which are welded in spaced rela-` tion to a pair ofrods 23.'y The outermost members of "this assembly may be inverted anglebars 24 ratherv than T-bars. The bars are 'suitably spacedto receive4therebetween the neck portions Bf of the bottles, which are suspendedtherefrom, as shown in Fig. 2. The mounting rods Imoved from thevcompartment II by simply lift i The It will be lnals of the bars 2m.,2lb and rods 23'.

ing the left hand end from the brackets 21 and then sliding itlongitudinally to clear the remaining rod from the brackets 23.

When thus assembled, it will be seen that the bars 2|a, 2lb, and 24 arespaced from the left hand wall of the compartment I a sufficientdistance to permit insertion of the bottles in each of the bar spaces. Alock plate 33, formed With bent terminals 3l, is mounted for hingingmove'- ment in this space by means of pivot studs 32 which extendthrough the terminals 3| and into the adjacentbrackets 2l. When it isdesired to lock the magazine after the loading operation,

the plate is swung down to the position shown in Fig, 2 to cover theloading space. One of the T-bars 2 b is longer than the remaining bars,and the lock plate 3D is notched, as indicated at 33, to straddle thisbar. The bar 2 Ib contains a hole 34 for receiving a padlock 35 whicheffectively retains the plate 3 and rack 2| in closed position. l

A transverse aisle 37 is provided at the opposite end of the compartmentto communicate with all of the bottle spaces or aisles 25 of themagazine 2|. This is formed by a transverse T-bar 38 Welded to theforward edge of the fan casingy i9, in spaced relation to the right handtermi- A sheet metal platform 49 forms a floor for thetransverse aisle,and it is supported by uprights 4| extending upwardly from theunderlying duct I8 (Fig. 3).

It will now be seen that a bottle may be selected from any of the aisles25 of the magazine 2|, and slid longitudinally for entry into `thetransverse aisle 3l, Where it rests on the platform 40. rlhe bottle maythen be slid laterally to the entry of the bottle release mechanism 22.

The mechanism 22 consists of f a stationary member or box 42 fixed tothecompartment and formed with an opening 43 in its top 44. The opening 43is provided with a restricted throat portion 45 which is spaced from theterminal portion of the transverse T-bar 38 to permit the entry of abottle B into the box 42 (Figs. 1 and 3). It will be noted that theplatform 40 is formed with a' bottle supporting extension 4|underlyingthe box 42. A movable member or bottle release slide 45 (Fig.4) is mounted for transverse sliding movement beneath the top 44 of thebox 42 by means of studs 41 secured in the top 44 and extending intoslots 4H inthe underlying slide 4E. A tension spring 5I secured to theslide 46 and box42 respectively tends to retain the slide in its vclosedposition, as shown in Fig. 1,

The slide is formed with a notch 50,' the left hand edge 52 of whichcooperates with the ,opposed edge 5ta of the box opening 43 to provide abottle imprisoning 'aisle 53. The box 42 and the slide 46 are providedwith depending skirt portions 55 and 54 respectively, which portionscarry plates 53, spaced suiliciently from each` other (Fig. 3) to guidethe lower Portion of a bottle B into the box (l2. The plates 56 carrystuds 5l which extend into slots 53 in the skirt portions 54 andv 55,whereby the plates 56 may be adjustably positioned to accommodatebottles of different sizes.

The cabinet lil is formed with an opening containing a bearing til forslidably receiving a plunger 6|. The inner end of the plunger is securedto a flange B2 on the release slide 46, as indicated by the numeral G3.The outer end of the plunger is formed with a head G4 having a verticalcoin slot 65 therein, and an underlying latch shoulder 86 (Figs. 3 and4) A bracket 63 is secured to the exterior of the cabinet ID, and aninverted channel shaped guide member 69 is welded thereto. The member E9serves to guide the head 64 against turning movement, and in addition itis formed with a coin slot 'i0 registering with the slot 65 in the headS4.

A cover l2 is hinged to the cabinet l0, and it covers the bracket 68 andassociated mechanism.

A coin selector unit C is carried in the bracket E3 immediately abovethe member 69, 'and this unit may be of any Well known type, requiringno detailed description herein, save that it should have a coin inlet T3and a coin outlet 'I4 registering With the coin slot 'l0 of the guidemember t9.

The guide member 6G carries a transverse pin 15, upon which a latch I6is pivotally mounted. The free end l`| of the latch 16 is normally heldagainst the bottom of the plunger head 64 by a leaf spring'l. A cammember I3 is'secured beneath thevhorizontal portion ogthememberv Gt,and'it is formed with a cam surface 80 which is disposed immediatelyadjacent the coin slc-t 65 in the head 64.

It will.be seen inY Fig. 4 that the latch 78 is formed Withva, coin slot16a, which overliesa coin box R, carried in the bracket 58 vbeneath theguidemember E9.

In the operation of the device, when a coin is insertedn the unit C, itdrops through the outlet 'i4 and slot l0 into the slotin the plungerhead E4, where the bottom edge of thel coin rests upon theunderlyinglatchl (Fig. 3). A bottle B, positioned inthe box 42, aspreviously described, may now ,bev gripped by its protruding neckportion andA manually lifted, causing ythe bulging body of the bottle t0engage the edge52f ofthe -release slide4i` in a `Wcdging action, thusmoving the slide 43 to the left against the Aurge of the spring 5|. 'Hofthe latch lyis spaced from the'shoulder 65 on the plunger head64,thuspermitting an initial-free` movement of the slide 46 andaccompanying plunger 6|.

During this initial movement, the, upper. and protruding edge of thecoin, indicated by the numeral 83a, engages the cam surface 30, and thecoinis thus forced downward to depress the latch 16 (dotted lines, Fig.3), and thus moveV the latch end 11 out of ythe path of the shoulder 66.-The bottle may now be completely withdrawn from the box 42, with theslide 43 being moved to the left by the bottle without obstruction.

During this latter movement, the head E4 passes over the coin slot 16aofthe latch, through which the coin falls into the underlying coin boxR. It will be obvious that during this operation the guard plate 56 on`the release slide 46 Will approach the stationary plate on the box 42and close the bottle entry gap, thus preventing other bottles from beinginserted lin the box 42.

When the bottle B is; completely withdrawn from the box 42, the' releaseplate is restored to` It will be observed that the end from theinventive concept, as setforth in the' followingiclaims. i L Y Weclaim?. y v

1.- A bottle dispensing mechanism comprising a stationary member and arelatively movablef member, resilient means vfor releasably moving themovablevyr'nember into spaced `relation with the stationary membertopermit the neck of a bottle to be received in protruding relationbetween said members, said movable member being ing such as to admit theneck portion of the botadapted to be moved to an open position by the iphysical action resulting from lifting a bottle` from between saidmembers, latch means positioned for engagement by the movable memberupon opening movement thereof, and coin-cona stationary member and arelatively movable member, resilient means for releasably moving themovable member into spaced relation with the stationary memberto permitthe neck of a bottle to be received in .protruding relation between saidmembers, said movable memberbeing adapted to be moved to an openposition by the physical action resulting from lifting a'bottle frombetween said members, said members being also formed With terminalportions disposed for approach relative to each other upon openingmovement of said movable member, whereby the entry between said membersis closed to'otlier bottles during the removal of the positioned bottle,latch means disposed for engagement by the movable member upon openingmovement thereof, and coin-controlled means for moving said` latch meansfrom engaging position with said movable member.

3. A bottle dispensing mechanism comprising a stationary member and arelatively movable` member, resilient means for releasably moving themovable member into spaced relation with the stationary member to permitthe neck of a bottle to be received in protruding relation between saidmembers, a bottle magazine commumeating with said members and includingan aisle structure leading to the space between said members, saidmovable member being adapted to be tlef but not the body portionthereof, means in the cabinet adjacent one end thereof for holding themagazine from vertical removing movement, and

means at the other end of the cabinet for releasably engaging at leastone of the magazine bars to hold the engaged end of the magazine fromvertical removing movement, said means at said other end being adaptedto be locked, whereby the magazine is securely positioned in the cabinetagainst unauthorized removal, but may be removed upon disengagement of'the lockable means.

6. A bottle dispensing apparatus comprising a cabinet having an opentop, a magazine rack disposed in the cabinet below the top thereof, saidmagazine rack comprising a plurality of longitudinally disposed parallelbars, said bars being spaced sufliciently to admit the neck, but not thebody, of a bottle, the magazine extending from side to side of thecabinet, bracket means mounted on the side Walls of the cabinet adjacentone end thereof and having portions overlying the magazine to hold themagazine from vertical removing movement, said magazine terminatingshort of each end of the cabinet, means at one vend of the cabinet forindividually removing botl magazine removably mounted in the cabinetbemoved to an open position by the physical action resulting fromlifting a bottle from between said -members, said members being formedwith depending skirt portions adjacent said aisle, said portions being`disposed for relative approach tween the side walls and intermediate thetop and bottom wall, said magazine comprising a plui thereof, whereby abottle may be slid along the upon opening movement of said movablemem-.-

ber to close communication between said aisle and said members, andcoin-controlled means for releasing said movable 'member for openingmovement. f

4. A bottle dispensing mechanism comprising a stationary box having'anopening in its lside f and top into Which a bottle may be inserted withits neck projectingkabove the box,` a movable slide member mounted forsliding movement v within the box 'and having a portion adapted to forman aisle with said box opening wherein the neck of a bottle isimprisoned, a spring for retaining the slide member in such position,said mov- Aco able slide member being adapted-to be moved against theurge of said springby the physical action resulting from lifting abottle from the box, said movable slide member also having a dependingskirt portion disposed adjacent one side of the opening in the side ofsaid box, said portion being movable to block said opening duringremoval of the bottle in said box, and coinbars and underneath thecross` rods, brackets mounted on the side walls for receiving the ends`Iof the cross rods and thereby suspending the magazine in the cabinet,the brackets for one rod overlying the same, a locking plateai; one endof the cabinet releasably engaging' the magazine,

said plate, when released, permitting the loadingof bottles into themagazine and the removal of the magazine from the cabinet, a transverseaisle formed in the cabinet at the opposite end thereof in opencommunication with the spaces between the bars, said aisle being ofsubstantially the same width as the distance between the bars, whereby abottle may be moved'from any position inthe'magazine into and throughthe aisle, a receiving slot formed at one point in the aisle, and meansresponsive to a lifting movement of a bottle in the slot for increasingthe size thereof to effect the removal of the bottle.

8. Bottle dispensing apparatus comprising a -cabinet having an open top,a rack having a plurality of parallel aisles from which bottles may be4slidably suspended from their neck portions,

s means for removably mounting the rack within controlled'means forreleasing. said movable lease mechanism including a bottle imprisoningaisle communicating with said transverse aisle, and coin-controlledmechanism operative to control the movement of the bottle release mecha-5 nism.

vHOWARD D.' WHITE. f

GREGG F. FORSTHOEFEL.

